Moral Heroes or Suffering Persons? Ancestors in Family Intergenerational Stories and the Intersection of Family and National Memories

Abstract

This article adds to recent intergenerational family memory research by presenting an empirical study of three-generational stories recounted by thirteen families in the Czech Republic. By drawing on a detailed and rigorous methodological approach, this article focuses on the topic of stories, their emotionality, and the personal traits of the heroes. The majority of families told their family stories in a prototypical, perhaps archetypal fashion, depicting their ancestors as heroes under circumstances of danger, fear, and threat. A tendency to valorize ancestors is observed in the stories framed by important historical events while private family stories tend to have more of an amusing character. Why a family shares that or another type of stories depends on many circumstances, particularly on a long-lived and generative ancestor, intergenerational relations, and family values.

Genealogical Memory and Its Function in Bridging the ‘Floating Gap’

“…Moreover, family histories, whether conveyed orally or documented, are intricately intertwined with national or local history, offering context to the experiences of ancestors (Barclay and Koefoed 2021;Švarícková Slabáková 2019). The professional genealogist will therefore aim to delve into and comprehend this context, often shedding new light on the fate and life choices of an ancestor.…”

Competing collective narratives in intergroup rapprochement: A transgenerational perspective

“…Intergenerational family memory research shows that families have a tendency to depict their ancestors as heroes and that the type of stories remembered is determined by family values (Švaříčková Slabáková, 2019). Being a member of a group that either won or lost the war, makes a difference in the amount of acknowledgement one's narrative of the past will receive and, hence, how prone one is to share it publicly.…”